Fire broke out on a cruise ship in the Caribbean Sea on Thursday and spread to several cabins, killing one person and injuring several others, authorities said.
The Star Princess was en route from Grand Cayman to Jamaica when the blaze started in a cabin, according to a statement from Princess Cruises, based in Santa Clarita, California.
In Jamaica, authorities reported the ship was coming into a port in the island and that there was one reported fatality.
“One person has been reported dead and others injured as a result of smoke inhalation,” Jamaica’s Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management said.
The fire-blackened Star Princess, carrying 2,690 passengers and 1,123 crew members, steamed into the port of this city in northwestern Jamaica shortly before noon. Firefighters rushed aboard.
Richard Liffidge, 75, of Georgia, collapsed and died on deck. His wife was taken to a hospital in Montego Bay, said Karl Angell, communications director for the Jamaica Constabulary Force.
Horace Peterkin, president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association, toured the American ship and said crew members told him the fire apparently started on a balcony of one of the cabins. A cigarette was suspected of causing the fire, Peterkin said.
“The ship is seaworthy,” Peterkin said. “They’ll sail out tomorrow. The cabins that have been damaged, those people obviously can’t stay on board so we’re moving them to a hotel.”
